供应链服务的创新——第四方物流

Innovation of Supply Chain Service——The Fourth Party Logistics

当国人还在争论什么是第三方物流时,国外对第四方物流的讨论又如火如荼,而且有的公司已经开始了相关的运作。业界的广泛共识是,物流管理的日益复杂的信息技术和爆炸性发展,使得供应链管理的过程中需要一个“超级经理”,而且,学术界、管理顾问公司、第三方物流公司和最终客户都认为对这种实体的需要是越来越强烈。它的主要作用应该是对制造企业或分销企业的供应链进行监控,在客户和它的物流和信息供应商之间充当唯一“联系人”的角色。

When we Chinese are still disputing about the definition of the Third Party Logistics, the overseas experts have shifted their focus on the Fourth Party Logistics and some companies have even begun the operation concerned. A consensus has been achieved that there should be a 'super-manager' for the supply chain alignment while the logistic management is becoming more and more complicated and Info-Tech is developing explosively. Besides, the academeic circle, the management consultant company and the third party logistic company including the end users all feel the urgent demand for this kind of entity. The main function of the entity should be monitoring the supply chain of manufacture and/or distribution enterprises, and acting as a sole 'contactor' among the customers and their logistic & information suppliers.